Data Collection for Midwives

Summary of the May 2020 MAWS Data Survey Results:

  • 98 Washington State LM’s participated in the survey (approximately half of all state LM’s) and all of these were MAWS members. This represents a survey response rate among MAWS members of 70%.
  • 90% of respondents reported that they are currently participating in data collection.
  • Of those, 99% utilize the MANA Statistics Project (MANA Stats) to submit their data.
  • 67% of LM’s do their own data entry, 13% utilize students, and 20% rely on someone else to enter their data.
  • 81% of respondents utilize an Electronic Health Record (EHR).
  • Of these, 86% use either Client Care of Maternity Neighborhood.
  • 84% of respondents are interested in contributing their data directly to OB COAP, if that option becomes available.

Since 2014, Washington State midwifery law has included mandatory data collection as a provision for licensure renewal.  This accountability measure is a tremendous benefit to midwives, enabling us to engage in quality improvement activities both within and outside the midwifery community.  Looking at community-based birth outcomes allows MAWS to inform its members about best practice, promote the benefits of the midwifery model of care, and advocate for normal physiologic birth within the larger community of perinatal practitioners.  Data collection offers midwives a seat at the table in clinical and legislative discussions, both statewide and nationally.  Adding our own data to the field allows us to demonstrate what midwives do in a tangible, measurable way.

The law does not specify a particular database that licensed midwives in WA are required to use.  However, the database must be approved by the Department of Health in order to meet the requirement.  Currently there are two databases currently approved by the DOH: MANA Stats and the PDR (Perinatal Data Registry) of the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC).  Midwives who submit their data to MANA Stats (and are also members of MAWS) have the added benefit of having their data "ferried" over to the Obstetrics Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program (OB COAP) at the Foundation for Health Care Quality, which is a Washington State obstetrics quality improvement project that includes many state hospitals.  The data is ferried anonymously and in aggregate.  Participation in OB COAP is a highly significant opportunity, unique to our state, and represents an unprecedented collaboration between hospital-based clinicians and community-based midwives.

Follow the links below to learn more about MANA Stats, and to enroll.​

​Understanding MANA Stats: a Q & A with Missy Cheyney

Learn more about MANA Stats and how the information is used here
Banner photo by Charlee Haller, used with permission.
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